mattstech
New Member
Hello my friends of AK!
So due to being "temporarily laid off" as to current world events, I have decided to work on some projects of mine. This includes a pair of Sansui SS-2 headphones from the early 1970s, that i managed to score at a thrift store a while back.
The problem:
-Often times, especially at low volume, the right channel will drop out/become quieter than the left. It does not cut out entirely, but it starts to sound like voice coil rubbing.
The (annoying) workaround:
-Turning up the volume, or playing a louder passage, will cause the right channel driver to "cut back in", and sound normal and achieve perfect L-R balance.
Possible causes, I have ruled out:
-Amplifier --> Many other headphones sound just fine. Source, Signal path, wiring and mechanical contacts have no issues.
-Headphone Cable ---> It's a long but thick cable. Resistance was checked at both ends with both drivers disconnected (however, leaving the common of the left channel soldered, as it connects to the other driver) and both terminations have an equal resistance of around 1 ohm. I thought this was high, but it would not explain the issues occurring, as both channels would still be receiving equal output power. Solder points on the 1/4 jack as well as internal wiring and the terminals on the speaker drivers themselves were re-flowed.
Further possible causes:
-Broken tinsel lead causing driver to cut in/out depending on it's cone position? Is this even possible in headphones?
-rust built up in the magnet pole piece... Playing a low level 20Hz tone through the right channel for a minute can cause it to work properly for several hours afterwards.
I have been scratching my head now for this past week.
Despite having a large paper cone driver, they don't sound like half the rubbish offered at the time period, which gives them value for me! For this reason, I would like to get them going fine.
I would love if someone from this wonderful community could lend me a hand!
So due to being "temporarily laid off" as to current world events, I have decided to work on some projects of mine. This includes a pair of Sansui SS-2 headphones from the early 1970s, that i managed to score at a thrift store a while back.
The problem:
-Often times, especially at low volume, the right channel will drop out/become quieter than the left. It does not cut out entirely, but it starts to sound like voice coil rubbing.
The (annoying) workaround:
-Turning up the volume, or playing a louder passage, will cause the right channel driver to "cut back in", and sound normal and achieve perfect L-R balance.
Possible causes, I have ruled out:
-Amplifier --> Many other headphones sound just fine. Source, Signal path, wiring and mechanical contacts have no issues.
-Headphone Cable ---> It's a long but thick cable. Resistance was checked at both ends with both drivers disconnected (however, leaving the common of the left channel soldered, as it connects to the other driver) and both terminations have an equal resistance of around 1 ohm. I thought this was high, but it would not explain the issues occurring, as both channels would still be receiving equal output power. Solder points on the 1/4 jack as well as internal wiring and the terminals on the speaker drivers themselves were re-flowed.
Further possible causes:
-Broken tinsel lead causing driver to cut in/out depending on it's cone position? Is this even possible in headphones?
-rust built up in the magnet pole piece... Playing a low level 20Hz tone through the right channel for a minute can cause it to work properly for several hours afterwards.
I have been scratching my head now for this past week.
Despite having a large paper cone driver, they don't sound like half the rubbish offered at the time period, which gives them value for me! For this reason, I would like to get them going fine.
I would love if someone from this wonderful community could lend me a hand!